Two Long Beach Unified School District teachers were among 16 educators named Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year at a ceremony honoring excellence in public schools last weekend.
Erin Brady—a third grade teacher at Holmes Elementary School in Lakewood—and Kenneth Fisher, a math teacher at Cabrillo High School, were chosen as winners of the 31st Annual Los Angeles County Teachers of the Year competition out of a pool of 71 participants who had been elected by their respective school districts.
While this is only a county competition, it is the largest of its kind in both the state and nation. And with two of the country’s largest school districts residing within the county’s borders, this honor is a prestigious achievement given to those who have exceeded district standards and established new ones for their fellow teachers. The winning educators will serve as standard bearers for the teaching profession and their more than 76,000 classroom colleagues across Los Angeles County.
“These are dedicated women and men who everyday make the most of a precious opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of their students,” said County Superintendent of Schools Arturo Delgado at a banquet and awards ceremony Friday night.
In addition to being interviewed, contestants were required to submit essays, lesson plans and other materials to be judged by a panel of peers. Each of the honored sixteen received a $1,000 cash prize presented by the California Credit Union, the event’s main sponsor, and will automatically advance with other winners from around the state to the California Teachers of the Year competition in a few months.
“[Teachers are] the center of the quiet hurricane of empowerment and possibility,” said last year’s National Teacher of the Year winner, Rebecca Mieliwocki from Burbank. “Every moment that you spend in the service of educating another human being is an opportunity to change the world and make it a better world.”
The following teachers were also awarded:
Daniel Johns, Dana Middle, Arcadia USD;
Jennifer Felter, Merwin, Covina-Valley USD;
Kari Fretham, Culver City Middle, Culver City USD;
Lynda Okerson, Cullen Elementary, Glendora USD;
Jennifer Valencia, Lake Center Middle, Little Lake City School District;
Jeffrey Austin, Social Justice Humanitas Academy, LAUSD;
Stacey Joy, Baldwin Hills Gifted Magnet Elementary, LAUSD;
Veronica Marquez, Harmony Elementary, LAUSD;
Julie Borsari, Jordan Elementary, Lowell Joint School District;
Linda Gesualdi, Mira Costa High, Manhattan Beach USD;
Kyle McClure, Clifton Middle, Monrovia USD;
Maryann Nielsen, South Pasadena High, South Pasadena USD;
Sandra Davis, Diamond Bar High, Walnut Valley USD; and
Sheila LaCour, Richard Henry Dana Middle, Wiseburn School